


Branches

by ohemdee



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Healthy Relationships, Siblings, Unhealthy Relationships, especially in regards to Azula
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24835210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohemdee/pseuds/ohemdee
Summary: Two wildly different sets of siblings, and how, sometimes, it’s really okay to choose your own family.
Relationships: Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 18
Kudos: 140





	1. On Thin Ice

**Author's Note:**

> It’s been a while since I’ve written anything, but I just binged all of a:tla and I have a lot of feelings.

The saw drove through the ice all too easily, bone cutting through what should have been a solidly frozen layer, and plunged directly into the depths of the sea below. Sokka carefully extracted the saw out of the hole, ears now attuned to every creak of the ice underneath him. His pack was a little ways off, just out of arm's reach. Slowly, trying to move no more than absolutely necessary, he laid himself down, trying to take up as much surface area as he could. His heart was pounding against his ribs, and he tried to gulp down air to calm it down. Every beat against his chest seemed to reverberate against the ice below, a rapid tattoo spelling out his future demise.

Sokka needed to think, and he needed to think fast.

The moans and groans of the ice below him were getting increasingly louder and more frequent. “Okay, okay, Sokka. You can do this.” The ice absorbed his whispers, the snow just barely shifting from his breath.

He slowly shifted along the ice, trying not to flinch when it creaked. The pack may just have to be sacrificed, because there was no way he was going to go backwards.

He slithered forward again, smooth as a greased up otter-penguin.

“Just have to get back to land, no big deal. Just keep sliding, you got this.” The ice cracked in response. “Oh merciful La, just let me live and you will not regret it!” Sokka definitely did not cry, just created ice on his face to show his commitment. “Anything you want!”

“Sokka!” He raised his head off the ice, and sweet sky above, Katara was waving at him from the shore. “Sokka! Move faster!”

Oh right, the ice. The cracking was getting louder again, and he pushed himself forward half a foot. With a resounding snap that would haunt him for months, the ice gave way underneath him.

* * *

Cold, so cold. Colder than cold. Coldiest cold. Cracking and popping brought Sokka to full awareness, and he jerked upright, just to be pushed firmly back down. Katara smiled down at him, and he heard the shuffling sounds of Gran-Gran’s steps come into the room. He looked to his left, taking in the merry sounds of a crackling fire next to him. He was home.

“It’s going to be okay.” Katara was starting to tear up, which was all the warning Sokka got before she threw herself on top of him. “I was so worried about you.”

He automatically wrapped his arms around her. “How’d I get out?”

Gran-Gran smiled at them both. “Your sister used her waterbending.”

“I panicked.” Katara sat back, and wiped her face on her sleeve. “Next thing I knew you were shooting out of the water and next to me. I dragged you the rest of the way home. I’ve never done something like that before.”

This time it was Sokka grabbing Katara into a tight hug. “Thank you.”


	2. Riptide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Certainly easier said than done, but definitely a better option than drowning. He pulled together whatever strength he had, and on the biggest breath he could manage, moved in what he hoped was the right direction.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Running down to the riptide/take me away to the dark side”  
> I’m never calling anything riptide again because that’s what played over and over in my head.
> 
> Enjoy!

The sun beat down on the beaches of Ember Island, and the heat built through the morning to the point where the afternoon air felt weighed down by the force of the sunshine. It had made both Azula and Zuko testy, and they had snapped at each other all morning. Finally their mother ushered them out the door and down to the beach. Better to leave before Ozai became too irritated with their antics.

The beach was a small respite for Zuko. Azula immediately found some girls her own age that she could boss around, and he was left to dig for creatures in the sand. He followed some particularly interesting ones from underneath an upturned rock into the surf, and contentedly watched their small, shelled bodies move gracefully through the water. 

He looked back at his mother, who seemed less than interested in his activities. She was talking to the mother of one of the girls Azula had pulled into one her more violent games, probably trying to make things better. Azula had that effect on people, and seemed to take a particular delight in leaving others to clean up her messes.

A small pinch on his leg brought his attention back to the creatures. One of them had gently grabbed him in a claw before it darted further into the water. He followed deeper, smiled when a small group encircled his legs, swam around him, and every once in a while gently touched him with little claws.

Entranced as he was, it was easy to miss the marker, just a floating ball in the water, but usually enough of a warning to local swimmers that they avoided the riptide zones that were abundant in the area.

Zuko’s new friends were swept away from him, pulled into the current and out to the deep, and, before he had a chance to move back to the shore, a particularly strong wave knocked him off balance.

On his first gasp he pulled in a lungful of sea water.

Of course he knew of rip currents, but it was so hard to remember what to do when his body was being hauled against his will, deeper and deeper, and his lungs were filled with water and all he could see was the grainy blue of the ocean. He tried to suck in gulps of air while flailing against the waves and only succeeded in breathing more water.

_“Think, Zuko, think.”_ He started to tread water, getting himself at least mostly upright, still coughing and spluttering and still being pulled out to sea. _“Okay. Swim sideways.”_

Certainly easier said than done, but definitely a better option than drowning. He pulled together whatever strength he had, and on the biggest breath he could manage, moved in what he hoped was the right direction.

“Zuzu!” Azula was tiny in his vision. How far had he gone?

Always a stronger swimmer than Zuko, she paddled towards him.

“Don’t.” His voice was thin and quiet to his ears and he coughed up nothing but liquid. At least he didn’t feel like he was getting hauled deeper anymore.

Azula swam to just outside of his arms’ reach, and treaded water easily. She smiled at him, all teeth.

“Have a problem, Zuzu?”

“Help.” It was all he could manage to sputter out. His vision started to double, and it took all of his concentration to keep himself afloat.

“Hmm.” Azula watched him struggle. “I don’t know. Don’t seem like there’s much in it for me.”

How could she be like this? Zuko’s vision faded entirely, and his head slipped below the surface.

In the end, someone did haul him out. A father to one of the local kids, Zuko never learned who. They pumped the water out of his chest, and Zuko woke to a pounding headache and a terrible lung infection that took weeks to heal. When he asked Azula why she didn’t pull him to shore, she said she’d never been there at all, and the girls she’d been playing with at the beach refused to even make eye contact with him.


	3. A Spoonful Of Soup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little birthday dinner

Katara carefully stirred the stew, and pulled up the smallest taste she could on the end of her spoon. Everything was going to be perfect for Sokka’s dinner, and she would make sure of it.

Thick crusted bread was sitting on the table, fresh from their little wood stove, and perfectly golden brown. Gran-Gran had pulled an old bottle of sweet wine from some secret stash of hers for dessert. Now she just had to get the stew to the same level and everything would be ready.

Katara bit her lip. Sokka has been quiet all morning, taking off to do his usual watches and daily hunting, pretending as if his birthday didn’t even exist. She knew some part of him was hoping that Hakoda would be returning to take him ice dodging, but he would have squashed that out much as he could. Katara held onto the smallest thread she could that it would happen, but the day was growing dark, and their dad was probably still halfway around the world. So, she would just have the make the best dinner ever to make up for it.

She’d gotten up early that morning, snuck out (not that Sokka would have woken up- he would sleep through a whole invasion if it started early), and done some hunting of her own. 

Her and Gran-Gran had spent the previous week gathering the sparse herbs that dotted the tundra, and everything was nearly perfect. She tasted the stew again. Delicious. All it had needed was a little patience. Now all she needed was for Sokka to return home. It was getting late, and he had to know they were going to do something special for him.

The sound of footsteps near the door brought Katara back to the moment, and she walked into the small front room of the house. Sokka had just come in, and was working to pry off his boots. She took a moment to take her brother in. He looked tired. They all looked tired these days, but the toll of being the sole warrior, a position he took all too seriously, had started to wear on him. Katara has spent her life looking at him as her big, strong, older brother, but really he wasn’t much older than her, and there was no way she thought she could be responsible for the whole village. Maybe with help...

But Sokka would never accept help, so she did what she did best, and tried to hold together the house.

Sokka looked up, and only then seemed to realize that she was staring at him. His face broke into a smile.

“Hey Katara, I thought of the best joke while I was on the walk today-“

“I made your favourite food.” She didn’t really mean to blurt it out, but she couldn’t always stop the tumble of words out of her mouth. “And Gran-Gran has wine, because we couldn’t find enough crowberries for dessert, so I hope that’s enough, and happy birthday Sokka!”

“Katara.” Sokka’s smile softened at the edges of his mouth and crinkled the corners of his eyes. “Katara, you didn’t need to do all that.”

Tears she hadn’t expected started to burn in her eyes. “I did though. You do so much Sokka, you deserve this.”

He walked up and slung his arm over her shoulders. Because he was still Sokka, he made an over dramatic kiss against her hair, which only made Katara groan.

“You’re right, I definitely do deserve this. Did you see my guard tower? It’s an architectural feat.” He grunted when Katara elbowed him in the ribs. “I’m not even a waterbender! Just good old fashioned elbow grease made that beauty.”

She not-so subtly led them towards the eating area, and the whole time internally debated how much of the wine Gran-Gran would let her drink.

Sokka stopped them just before they made it to the table. “Hey Katara, thanks. This. It, uh, means a lot.”

She hugged him tightly. “Anything for you.”


	4. A Second Cup Of Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A family dinner in the royal household.

Ozai, on one of the rare occasions when he remembered that he was a father as well as ruler, joined them. 

Azula loved these evenings more than any other. All other dinners were a constant losing battle for Mother’s attention, because, for whatever reason, she couldn’t compete for Ursa’s praise when Zuko was there. It was always, Azula be kinder to your brother, no we are eating this is not the time for a firebending display, Azula sit with us, Azula be less you, please just stop Azula, please .

Ozai had a different view.

He asked her of her successes in her lessons, and she carefully arranged them like offerings to a higher being, but also moves on a board that only she and Zuko were invited to play at. It was like laying tiles out, strategic plays that Zuko couldn’t even begin to defend against. He didn’t even have the right chips.

She basked in Ozai’s praise, let it stoke the flames that lived inside of her, fuel to the burn that gave her life. She saw Ursa had pursed her lips in her periphery. She was nothing more than a spectator in this moment, one that couldn’t tip the board in Zuko’s favour without invoking Ozai’s displeasure. Azula was nearly breathless with joy.

“And you, Zuko?” Ozai turned back to his meal, which he apparently deemed more worthy of attention than his son.

“Uh.” Zuko swallowed loudly, and Azula tried to smooth her smile into something more neutral.

“Well?” Ozai looked at Zuko for the first time since their meal began.

“Well, my sword training has been good.” The last word barely squeaked out when Ozai held up a hand.

“Sword training?” The disdain was palpable, and Azula was captivated by the scene unfolding, food forgotten.

“Yeah, I, um, sword practice. I thought it would be useful.” Zuko’s tea cup clattered against his bowl. Poor thing, his hands always shook when he had to talk to someone other than Ursa. “Bending can’t always be used, and it’s weaker at night, and swords aren’t, and a good soldier is always prepared.”

Azula and Zuko raised their tea cups to their mouths at the same time and both pretended to drink. Azula carefully watched Ozai over the rim of her cup, and Zuko focussed only on the tea. To Azula’s shock, Ozai smiled.

“Perhaps not all hope is lost.”

Zuko choked on his tea, and Azula nearly broke her cup when she set it down. This was completely unacceptable. She couldn’t hear Ozai’s further questions over the ringing in her ears. Her heart pounded, and the flames inside of her started to creep out, pushing at the seams of her body. She took a few deep breaths. Now was not the time to lose control. She glared at Zuko from across the table, but he didn’t even have the guts to look back at her. Just divided his gaze between not looking Ozai in the eye and looking at the teacup he was holding like some sort of lifeline.

If there was one thing she knew about her brother, it was that he was a terrible speaker at the best of times. Any distraction sent him in circles, spiralling off in all sorts of directions, and rarely the correct one. So she just had to apply the right pressure.

Azula began to heat his tea.

Nothing noticeable at first, but enough that when he took a sip he looked back at the liquid, trying to understand how it could have burnt his tongue.

Ozai continued to speak to Zuko.

Three more drinks from the cup, and Zuko finally looked up at her, shock and hurt written across his face. He missed one of Ozai’s questions, and forced him to repeat himself. Azula smiled at Ozai’s frown. Ursa looked between her children, catching onto Zuko’s distress, but unable to see the cause and further rendered powerless by their company.

The cup had to be burning him, and Zuko made the error of setting it down on the table, then watched in horror as the table started to smoke underneath it. He snatched the cup back, and Azula watched in glee as he bit his lip to stop from making a noise when it surely burnt his hands. She snuffed the potential fire on the tabletop.

Still Ozai ignored her.

So the cup got hotter.

Azula watched sweat break out along Zuko’s hairline.

Finally, Zuko brought the conversation back to her, and broke her focus on his tea. “Azula has been showing me some techniques. She’s really great.” He sucked air in between his teeth at the end of his statement.

Ozai looked at her. “Is this true?”

Azula smiled sweetly and instantly Zuko’s cup grew cool. “Yes, and Zuko has been learning so much.” She met Zuko’s panicked expression with one of serene contentment. “More tea, brother?”

Zuko bit back a cry when he held out his cup to her. “Thank you Azula.”


	5. Rainfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quiet moments with Toph and Zuko

Toph had asked her parents once, and only once, if she would ever have a brother or sister. Some of her servants had brothers and sisters. She’d asked her guard that day, and he had two older brothers. She felt the shifting of her parents' chairs, felt their heart rates spike.

“No dearest,” her mother replied, “we wouldn’t want to have to give our attention to another child. And think, you would have to share everything with a sibling! You wouldn’t want that.”

Toph was certain there were a lot of things that her mother said she didn’t want that she did in fact want very badly.

* * *

Turns out, having friends also means those friends will try and tell you what you do and don’t want to do.

Exhibit A: Toph did want to talk to Zuko again even though he’d burnt her the last time. It’s not like he meant it. She would know, and he was a terrible liar.

But no, everyone was so against it, Sugar Queen most of all. But people changed! Toph changed! She helped make food and take stuff off Appa and everything now. Who’s to say that Sparky hadn’t had a change of heart. Maybe he just needed some time away from his family like she did.

* * *

Sparky slept all alone in a room on the other side of the pillar of the air temple they all shared. Which at home wouldn’t have been weird at all to Toph (she had three rooms to herself there), but here, where they all shared a space, to keep an eye on each other or something, it seemed out of place.

Toph couldn’t sleep. Aang snored so loud the whole floor vibrated with it, and not being on the run meant they weren’t doing as much during the day, so she wasn’t collapsing in exhaustion every night. She flipped onto her other side and finally gave up. She got up and left their cozy sleeping area and headed out into the night air.

Surprising no one, Sparky was not sleeping either, and had sat himself at the edge of the temple, while a small fire smouldered behind him. Toph sat beside him, listened to the rush of air through the canyon, the way the trees interrupted the steady breeze, the hoot of a owl-squirrel on the other side. It was peaceful, in a lot of ways her life usually wasn’t.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Zuko’s voice was deeper than normal, the rasp more pronounced. He was tired, his heartbeat slow and steady in his chest. He’d hardly even jumped when she came out.

“Aang snores.”

She felt Zuko shift, and the warmth of the fire at their back increased pleasantly, chasing away the chill.

“Why’d you get scared when Katara and Sokka argued at dinner?” She turned her head to face him. Sighted people liked that.

Zuko’s heart jumped a bit, not as rabbit fast as earlier, but enough.

“It’s, um.” Toph tensed, ready for a lie. Zuko sighed. “If my sister and I fought like that, it would end a lot worse.”

Toph relaxed. No lie there.

“No offence, Sparky, but your sister sounds nuts.”

She heard and felt Zuko flop back onto the ground. “None taken. Do you have any sisters? Or brothers I guess?”

Toph laid down beside him. “Nope, just me and my fine self. Never wanted one anyways. Seems like work.”

“Sometimes. Can be nice though. No one else knows your life like your siblings do.”

It was starting to get colder, and Toph scooched herself closer to Zuko. He was always warm.

“Maybe we could trade your sister to my parents. They’re really terrible, but at least she can see. They’d probably let her do whatever she wants.”

She heard Zuko’s jaw crack when he yawned. “Not a bad idea.”

“Then I can be your new sister. I think you get me well enough, Sparky. I could probably fill in.”

“Seems like an unfair trade to your parents. And do you want me as a brother?”

“I get to decide what I want, Sparky. And I don’t think you’re half bad.” Zuko laughed, and Toph stretched. Rain started to come down on them, and she wrinkled her nose when it hit her face.

Zuko sat up. “We should go in.”

“Nah.” Toph bent the ground to build enough of a shelter, and made Zuko yelp and duck from the earth moving over his head.

He laid back down, and they both fell asleep listening to the rain.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY WOW IVE NEVER FINISHED A MULTICHAPTER FIC BEFORE
> 
> anyhoo, thanks for reading! I appreciate and love you all!

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr at [oh-emdee](http://oh-emdee.tumblr.com/).


End file.
